High number of seabird chicks washing up on Oregon beaches

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care.(Photo: Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast)

Unusually high numbers of dead and dying baby seabirds have been washing up on Oregon beaches this summer, alarming some scientists and rescue groups.

Just last week, Newport’s Oregon Coast Aquarium received three starving common murre chicks, bringing its total to 31 this year. That compares with just one in each of the past two years.

And West Coast rescue organizations from Alaska to California are reporting receiving hundreds more of the chicks, which look like baby penguins.

In California, some scientists are worried they’re seeing a repeat of 2014 and 2015 when the so-called “blob” – a mass of warm water that hung around the Pacific into 2016 – resulted in a mass die-off of common murres, as well as other marine birds and mammals.

Record high ocean temperatures were recorded in Southern California last month.

More than 100 hungry, exhausted young common murres inundated International Bird Rescue's northern California wildlife hospital, the group reported last month, calling it an emergency.

In Oregon however, scientists say that, at least for now, the increase in beached birds could actually be due to a better reproductive season.

Oregon State University scientists monitor nest success at the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, one of the largest breeding locations for common murres in the state.

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care.(Photo: Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast)

Over the past five years, there has been little to no nesting success. But this year, something changed. Researchers counted at least 130 murre chicks that fledged, passing the 15-day period where they are cared for by adults on the rocks.

Higher fledge rates mean there are more chicks on the water to potentially run into problems and wash up on the beach, Don Lyons, of OSU’s Seabird Oceanography Lab, said.

“Mortality can sometimes be quite high if food conditions are poor at the time of fledging,” he said.

However, it’s too early in Oregon’s murre season to know for sure, said Josh Saranpaa, executive director of Astoria’s Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

“In my opinion, it’s not what we would consider an emergency right now,” Saranpaa said. “But I am kind of concerned that California’s situation might be a precursor to what we’re going to see later.”

His center has received 90 sick murres this year and is currently caring for 36.

It didn’t take in any common murres in 2016 or 2017, Saranpaa said. That, too, is unusual and could be a sign that the birds moved in search of food during the blob.

“Historically, we used to get a die-off of some sort almost every year,” Saranpaa said.

Oregon’s murre season is just beginning, with some chicks still fledging. If birds continue to end up on the state's beaches into winter and spring, the trend will be more worrisome, he said.

Contact the reporter at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tracy_Loew

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Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Image courtesy of Beth Wise, Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Common Murres undergo rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Courtesy of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast

Leaving after rehab, these Common Murres take their first steps back into the ocean. Many of these birds have washed on shore, starving and in need of critical care. Courtesy of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast